Chanhassen Dinner Theatre Introduction

Chanhassen Dinner Theatre is one of the sights to see in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. It opened its doors in 1968 and since then has put on over 193 plays with over 8 million people watching. That number is staggering, but not surprising given the quality shows appearing at Chanhassen.

A married couple, Herbert and Carolyn Bloomberg, looked at a corn field and imagined a 90,000 square foot theatre facility. They had designed a new home for the Old Log Theater. Their own complex soon followed, built about 30 minutes from downtown. They decided to follow that project by building their own theatre complex 30 minutes from downtown. To add to the risk their vision included a restaurant. Given the failure rates of new restaurants and the distance from downtown, the project appeared to be a pipe dream doomed to fail.

But on October 11, 1968 the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre Minnesota opened. Fittingly, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” was the inaugural production. A month later “the Fantasticks” began. So here’s a pun. The curtains were now open on what would become the largest professional dinner theater in the United States. It can also boast being the largest privately owned restaurant in Minnesota. Take that, nay sayers.

On February 18, 1971 a production of “I Do! I Do!” opened in the Playhouse, a smaller theatre space in the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre facility. It ran a staggering 21 years. The same cast performed each and every show. That’s quite a performance, huh? It became a cornerstone production for the Playhouse and Chanhassen, known all over the country. It ended in November of 1992, but after “I Do Love the Holidays” took over for a few months, “I Do! I Do!” returned for a short run from late January to early December of 1993. It was then replaced by “Stevie Ray’s Comedy Troupe” which had a nearly two year run. But nothing compared to the amazing run enjoyed by “I Do! I Do!”.

Both “Stevie Ray’s Comedy Troupe” and “I Do! I Do!” later returned to Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, but in a different room. The Courtyard, now called the Club, hosted each of the plays in 1995. Today the Club is a popular spot for wedding receptions, private parties and even business meetings. Other well known plays that have appeared at Chanhassen are Camelot, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, Guys and Dolls, 42nd Street, Oklahoma, and Dial M for Murder. This is by no means the complete list. That can be found on the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre website chanhassentheatres.com.